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RATING: (weak) 1 2 3 4 5 (awesome)
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IN BRIEF
Pros: Can't make it to every ballpark in America this season? All-Star Baseball 2002 will satisfy the urge, minus the hot dogs. Cons: Complicated controls and weak gameplay are no way to celebrate America's favorite pastime. In a nutshell: Unless you are a diehard baseball video game fan, wait until later in the season to take the field. Multiplayer: Up to four players *ESRB rating: Everyone |
FACTS
Game Title: All-Star Baseball 2002 Platform: Playstation 2 Developer: Acclaim Sports Publisher: Acclaim Accessories supported: Vibration/Multitap Release Date: March 16, 2001 |
THE REVIEW by David Daniels for Gamers Today
Nothing frustrates me more than a game that should be good but really disappoints. Despite praise from other reviewers, I found All-Star Baseball 2002 one of the most frustrating games I've played in a long time. Eye-popping graphics that introduce each game seem to disappear once you start playing. Gameplay is repetitive; and every game seems to last longer than some major league careers.
I'm assuming everyone has some understanding of how baseball is played: pitchers pitch, hitters hit, and fielders play the field. All-Star Baseball 2002 falls woefully short on every aspect of the game.
The simple act of pitching and fielding a ball is tedious. Select a pitch; decide where in (or out of) the strike zone you wish to place the pitch; determine if you want to try to pick off a runner; and then, while the pitch is on it's way to the plate, alter it's direction further. If the ball is put into play, you have to choose a fielder, move him into position (demanding a new mindset of which button does what) and then throw the ball to the desired position. I'm all for a game rich with options, but packing three different sets of controls that have to be executed in three seconds is a bit much.
Hitting the ball is just as weary and frustrating. Position (more like guess) where the ball might come over the plate; move the "batting cursor" accordingly; adjust the cursor again to choose between hitting the ball on the ground or in the air; and the swing at the right moment. To make matters worse, the pitch comes so fast that most of the positioning is just guesswork. The skill here really lies in guessing what pitch is coming next, not in the timing of hand-eye coordination. True, this is a big part of what makes a "real life" slugger, but this is not real life.
It might be worth the time and effort to perfect the moves if All-Star Baseball 2002 had stellar graphics or some other hook to keep your head in the game. After seeing beautifully rendered ballparks (you really do feel like you're in Fenway Park or Dodger Stadium) at the start of a game, what's on screen next is strictly bush league. Limited angles, players in the field that look strictly 16-bit, and the same presentation as every other baseball video game I've played for the past five years.
Even things that should go smoothly seem to get fouled up. Announcers lag behind the action (saying a player is on his way to bat when he's already had his cuts and is on his way back to the dugout). Injuries are non-existent. And lord only knows who the official scorer is, because nothing seems to be called an error.
On a positive side, the game offers a load of statistics. Team rosters are surpassingly up to date, including all but the most recent trades. Managing your bull pen and repositioning your infielders are nice touches; but it's like complimenting a restaurant that serves bad food on its big portions. If playing the game isn't engaging, everything else just doesn't matter.
Usually, I'd say if you are a real fan of the genre take a swing at All-Star Baseball 2002 -- but I don't want angry letters. So only if you are really a baseball fanatic, rent it. And only do so if there's not a good game on TV.
For the love of the game, please someone step up to the plate and deliver a baseball game that takes advantage of the power of the PS2. Until then, I'll just have to stick to playing with last year's rosters.
*For a complete explanation of ESRB ratings, check out the official ESRB Web site.
